Hi ,pinch welds on the sills are always a problem when positioning axle stands,My solution which has worked for many years is to buy a couple of adult ice hockey pucks ,and cut a groove all along one side to fit the flange of the sill with a hacksaw .When the car is safely jacked up the axle stand can be positioned with this 'buffer' between the sill and the top of the axle stand before lowering .One of these can even be used on the jack platform to lift 1 side of the car to reposition an axle stand .These pucks are made from very hard vulcanised rubber and are quite cheap off the net . I have been using these since I was a part time mobile mechanic 40 years ago ,so although it may sound strange to some it does work
Dave

Hi another problem with the IS 200 worth checking is the windscreen ,is it original or has it been replaced ? I along with many others have had problems with windscreen replacement allowing water leaks .Check all round the bottom edge inside the car .If left it can affect electrics ,especially internal fuseboxes , silica gel is a good idea . I notice you say it has covered 60000 miles ,this is important with regard to the cam belt ,does it have a record of a cambelt change
Dave

Hi ,continuing on the dealership theme ,I have finally got the OK for the air bag recall , for all the years I have had Lexus cars I have never even been inside a main dealers, my nearest dealers appear to be Bolton ,Stockport or Chester and I will of course have to entrust the work to one of these , any advice gratefully received
Dave

Interesting topic , I have been driving for a long long time , the worst car for me easy, Ford Zodiac Mk 4 ( google a picture if you are too young to know what it looks like ) .Good looking car with dreadful brakes handling and reliability .I had a V6 ,bought for family transport in the days before MPV s ,low miles ,1 old lady owner (yes really ) broke down every other week .The really annoying fault was in hot weather with the carb being between the V of the cylinders ,vapour lock would prevent the car restarting if you stopped the engine so you went for a walk while it cooled down a bit!!. Gave up in the end and gave it to a couple of scrap guys who were touting for junk .They drove it away thinking I had gone mad. Best car ;difficult as they are all good when you purchase them, but I have had lexus for the last 12 years and mazda MX5 for the last 15 ,running 2 totally different cars side by side , at the end of the day the IS250 wins ,not by a big margin but it is a great allrounder for us.
Dave

Good posting with all the relevant information; as suggested ,use official outlets ,there have been cases of people fitting these plugs ,Denso and NGK in the MX 5 owners club ( other car ) where the electrode has become detached and caused a lot of engine damage
Dave

Congratulations on your choice ,the SC is a great car, I looked long and hard a couple of years ago but finally chose the convertible IS 250 ,rear seats for grandchildren ! .I think you will enjoy it ,especially the V8 .Spring is just around the corner
Dave

Hi Alec,I have serviced my own cars for many years including my previous sport cross; I can assure you that your Lexus is a straight forward car to maintain ,find a small independent garage with a ' hands on' owner and you should have no problems . Lexus parts are of course good and dependable quality ,but I can also recommend Gates brand for timing and ancillary belts ,they are used as original equipment on some makes and are a bit cheaper
Dave

Hi and welcome to this excellent forum ,looks a good car ,I,m sure you will enjoy driving it ; There are quite a lot of wheel refurbishers and I,m sure you will find a good local one if you ask around for recommendations .£80 a corner should get a good result ,I would only use a guy who takes the tyres off ;strips the paint and does a proper job , these cheaper refurbish options where the tyre bead is broken and the wheel quickly ' blown over ' the the tyre re inflated will not last long . It would appear from the last MOT there is an advisory on the rear callipers starting to seize, This is a common and easily fixed problem with plenty of advice on here for you to read . I would advise doing it promptly as if you leave it to seize up on the pivot pin it will become a much bigger problem .
Regards Dave

Hi ,the boot light is terrible for a car of this quality ,I have never seen one so useless .If you look in the owners recommendations Parts pinned post at the start of this section you will find Normski lists a Festoon SMD 28 m/m long this works fine .I also have 2 cheap 2 inch dia battery LED lights ;push on and off ,mounted by self adhesive velcro to help this time of the year .You can mount them anywhere you please .I do not mind having to push the button for a light as the boot light in the convertible is manual anyway Literally back to the dark ages
Dave

Hi I agree but I posted the tyre size with these wheels as they are all 8 inch and 225 is the industry recommended fitment . To go to the original 255 section on the rear the wheels need to be 8 1/2 inches
Dave

Hi ,I have these on my IS250C they were on when I bought it and according to the history I have were swapped by Lexus Belfast for the first owner .I think they suit the car ,the only downside for me is they are difficult to keep clean , and they are not ' staggered ' for the rear size ,so all 4 tyres are 225/40 .This does not seem to have had any effect on the drive over the 12000 miles I have covered
Dave

Hi just checked the Laser catalogue ,they list 2 tools for lexus oil filter housings ;5160 for prius corolla avensis and 4880 for is250 both 64 m/m but I can't see them making 2 tools for the same job . Let us know how it goes
dave

Hi I have not physically seen this version,but I seem to remember from previous posts that the 'castle ' type spigot is not as deep as the Laser tool and can climb out of the recesses when the cap is really tight .Just give it a try you have the part numbers for a tool that does work if it fails
Good luck Dave

Hi thanks for posting this update on bulbs . I was currently looking at updating the dipped beam D4S as I am not particularly impressed with the dipped lights but I find main beam OK Are you saying the standard dipped bulb is 4200 ,if so I will replace them with the 6000 you have used
Dave

Hi, I don't want to rain on your parade but if you read the full description it is for the PLASTIC filler cap and the lexus is250 is not mentioned .In view of previous problems members have reported trying to remove the housing you may damage the housing or tool .I have removed a few of these and they can be very tight .My advice would be to puchase a more substantial tool either LASER 4880 or SEALEY VS 7112 , Get the car as high as you can with safety; for added leverage use a long bar 'there is a hex on the tool as well as the 3/8 drive so you can use a larger 1/2 drive socket
Dave

Well done ; looks good ,I'm sure you will enjoy it ,it pays to shop around as the right car is out there ; Give it a good check over when you collect it including the advisories from the recent MOT rear brake pads and rear tyres ;
Dave

Hi ,I agree with what Steve has written ,this car is big and heavy but will perform if you need to ' make progress' .The roof should not rattle ,the chassis on this car has been strengthened to prevent flexing ; mine is as quiet as a saloon version .I see you state you need 4 seats ,my opinion is that the rear seats are minimal and the roof storage in the boot takes up a lot of room not leaving much for luggage ,is there less room in the Audi ? . Apart from this restriction they are brilliant cars ,
Dave

Hi interesting reading your experiences on this topic , I,m glad the programme is progressing but I received the letter from Lexus recall on 21 July 2016 . I have just rung the freephone recall line for an update and the reply is the passenger airbag parts for my vehicle are still not available !!! .
Dave

Congratulations on your choice , ( I'm biased ) as I have the 2011 SEL version ! I also like the two tone interior ,as mine is black and seems a little dark if the roof is up .These cars are great long distance tourers , for our last 2 summer holidays we have gone touring round France ,smooth ,silent and the fuel consumption is very good for a v6 . I think the roof takes up a lot of boot space but as there are now only 2 of us we can cope ; Go topless whenever possible
Dave

Absolutely stunning motor ,looks brilliant in that colour combination , thanks for the link to the detailing ;
Not for me ! 1 I could not take it out of the garage if it was raining
2 It would cost me my licence Enjoy
Dave

Hi this is truly a great trip ,I completed it in april this year with a group of MX5 owners .The information we received was that it is now getting very popular in the main summer months which makes progress slow over some single track sections , also accomodation can be difficult in some areas .Want a great testing run ? a couple of years ago we did the old Route des Grande Alpes from Annecy down to Menton on the Italian border , very challenging and exciting check it out
Dave